Collaboration technology and how it can transform the classroom
Collaboration technology is nowadays most often used in the business world. Corporate offices are the first place that come to our mind when we think of collaboration technology. But did you know that collaboration technology can also be used outside the enterprise setting? It is now possible to use this technology in various facets of life and one thing that we cannot miss out is the use of collaboration technology in classrooms. How is that possible? Let us have a look.
Classroom and video conferencing
The advantage of using video conferencing in the corporate world is well known. But the use of video conferencing especially, group video conference is yet to be explored fully. Irrespective of the location of the students and teachers, it is now possible to collaborate effectively through multi-user video conference. Video conferencing helps to simplify various simple tasks in the classroom. For example, if a student has missed out on any lecture, universities are able to record it with a video conferencing system which enables students to watch it wherever they are.
Effective 3-way video conference between the teacher, student and parents is also possible nowadays. Parents will then have a better understanding of the course curriculum and students can clear all their academic and non-academic doubts through the multi-user video conference facility. It has been observed by both educators and institutions that the student engagement rate is higher when group video conference facility is used. In fact, 78% of students are in favour of group video conference as their learning experience is enhanced through this facility. As a result, it brings benefits to not only students, but to teachers and parents as well.
How to achieve classroom collaboration through Virtual Reality
Students are provided with new opportunity when Virtual reality is introduced in the classroom. Irrespective of the age of the students, VR technology can be used for a variety of educational purposes. For example, small schools with low budget find it difficult to take students for field trips. In such circumstances, students can visit a number of locations even without leaving their classroom with the help of VR technology
In addition to this, various other VR classroom trends are also being started. For example, the way students and teachers communicate has been revolutionized by VR 360-degree cameras. By enabling virtual communication, student engagement and productivity is improved through these cameras. Remote students are put in a virtual classroom through the VR 360-degree cameras.
The way students interact with each other has also changed to a certain extent by VR. New social VR spaces helps students and teachers to interact with each other irrespective of where they are located. Students can create customisable avatars and engage in better socialisation and interaction through Social VR spaces. Through social VR spaces, students are able to interact in whichever way they feel comfortable. This definitely helps in building a positive and successful collaboration in the classroom.
Augmented Reality in the Classroom
More engaging and informative content is being created by social media sites and search engines through Augmented Reality. Educational institutions across the world have now started recognising the benefits AR can bring about in classrooms. It is now possible to overlay virtual content with the real-world situation through AR. This enables teachers and students to view the real world environment which otherwise would be far from their reach. For example, with the help of AR, medical students can snap a picture of the human body and overlay specific medical information using devices like a smartphone. Since the content created by AR is more interactive and engaging than the traditional methods, it will be more appealing to the students.
Though Collaboration technology is used extensively in various industries, its use outside the enterprise setting especially classrooms has never been overlooked. Students and teachers are now being able to interact more effectively through collaboration technology like multi-user video conferencing, virtual reality capabilities and Augmented Reality functions.
